Pneumatic vehicle-tire.



N. J. FLINT.

PNEUMATIC VEHICLE TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. so, 1913 Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NEWTON J. FLINT, OF SUFFOLK MASACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO HENRY B. MOQUEEN, QF BQSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PNEUMATIC VEH CLE-TIRE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

Application filed December so, 1913. Serial No. 809,480.

and at the same time secure, and to simplify and render moreeffective the operation of the several parts.

My invention primarily consists of an end-less metallic tube of drawn steel, the Walls thereof being of. sufficient thickness to afford some degree of resiliency and means being provided for inflating the said tube with air; the said tube being covered with layers of canvas and rubber for the purpose of affording a wearing surface for the tire and being provided with detachable means for affixing the same to the r m of the vehicle wheel;

Myinvention further consists in the various modifications and mprovements hereinafter specifically described and claimed.

Attention is hereby directed to the draw- Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of my invention. Fig. 2 is a crosssection on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, the tube 4 is an endless cylinder with thin walls composed of drawn steel or other suitable material, the walls being preferably constructed of a thickness barely suflicient to prevent the said tube from collapsing under the condition of ordinary use while at the same time affording considerable resiliency. The surface of the said tube I prefer to roughen by means of a sand-blast or other suitable ap paratus in order that the canvas jacket 5 may be more readily cemented thereto and prevented from lateral displacement. In order to afford a cushioning means of reinforcement to the walls of said tube 4, I pump air therein through the air valve 6, in

the wel1-known manner now employed for inflating automobile tires. The tube 4 has no other opening than valve 6.

The covering may be formed by helical windings 01' strips of canvas, or in any other suitable manner. In order that the covering 5 may maintain its proper position, I prefer to have the same cemented to the tube 4: and to the outer jacket 7. The outer jacket 7 of my improved tire is preferably built up of strips of canvas and raw rubber upon the covering 5. In Fig. 2 it will be noted, upon inspection, that the said jacket 7 is made of considerably greater thickness at the outer part thereof, in order that the same may serve as a wearing surface or tread for the tire. The said jacket after being so built up from canvas and rubber is vulcanized by any of the processes of vulcanization now in common use. If desired leather or other suitable material may be used in forming the jacket 7 in place of the preferred material. For the purpose of securing my im proved tire to the wheel rim of the vehicle I provide the metallic inner tube 4 with bosses 8 brazed thereto at regular intervals, there being preferably 8 or more of such bosses. Each of the bosses is provided with a screw threaded opening for the reception of the threaded bolt 9. The rim 10 is formed of two members 1.1 and 16. The spokes of the wheel are secured to the member 11, said member being provided with recesses 19 open at one end, openings 12 being provided for the reception of the shank of the bolt 9. The outer edge 13 of the member 11 is extended in the form of a flange 14 to cover a portion of the tire. The base l6 of the member 16 is a fiat plate of no greatthickness which overlaps the member 1.1 and is provided with boxes or recesses 15 open at their inner ends to receive the bosses 8. Said member is provided with a flange I l", and also with openings registering with the openings 12. Preferably the part of the member 11 forming the seat for the member 16 is slightly inclined toward the edgetheroof in order that the members may be wedged together.

In securing my improved tire, I first assemble the various parts of my device as shown in Fig. 2, the bolts 9, however, being b nt the boxes or recesses 15 being slid over the bosses 8, and the recesses 19 being slid over said boxes. Then upon screwing the bolts 9 into position by means of the nut-shaped heads 17 thereon, the said tire and various parts of the rims are firmly cured together. It is to be noted that in assembling the members 11 and 16, the tire is firstbrought into engagement with the flange 14 of the member 11, and that the member 16 is then slid into position and secured. By reversing these steps, that is, by first unscrewing the bolts 9 the member 16 of the rim may be detached and the tire readily removed.

Pneumatic tires now in common use are, as is well recognized, extremely liable-to puncture, and are defective because of this reason. \Vith my tire construction, how ever, it should be observed that because of the circular shape of the metallic inner tube that nails, tacks, and other objects present ing sharp points will, under ordinary circumstances, be deflected and glide from the tube without penetrating the same, there being no injury ordinarily sustained therefrom except to the tread of the jacket 7. It will also be observed that after my inner tube has once been inflated it will be a long time before it will be necessary to inflate the same again, if at all. The walls of said tube being hermetically sealed, the necessity, therefore of inflating the tube at frequent intervals as is the case with ordinary automobile tires will be practically obviated. Even when my improved tire is exposed to such violence as to puncture the inner tube, the remainder of the wall thereof will never theless be of sufficient steadiness to support the tread to a sufficient degree to permit the vehicle to proceed for a considerable time at a low speed and not to be obliged to be towed by some other vehicle.

The extending of the rim to form the lips 14 and 14 will be found to be an efiicient means to provide against rim cuts and biowouts, which usually occur near the inner part of the shoe. The said lips also serve to firmly hold the tire in operative position and to protect the tire from external violence at those parts where the wall of the tire is thinnest.

What I claim and desire to secure by Lettres Patent is:

1. The combination with a pneumatic tire provided with an inner tube having exterior bosses, of a wheel rim formed of sections, one of said sections l'iaving depressed portions to receive said bosses, the other section having recrssw to receive said depressed portions, and securing devices passed through. the sections of said rim and engaging said bosses.

2. The combination with a pneumatic tire provided with an inner tube having exterior bosses, of a thin rim section having depressions to receive'said bosses, a thick rim section having its periphery provided with recesses to receive said depressions, and se curing devices passed through the sections of said rim'and engaging said bosses.

3. The combination with a pneumatic tire provided with an inner tube having exterior bosses each provided with a threaded opening, of a wheel rim formed of sections, one of said sections having depressed. portions to receive said bosses, the other section having recesses to receive said depressed portions, said sections having openings re istering with the threaded openings of the bosses, and threaded bolts passed through the openings of said sections and the openings of said bosses.

4. The combination with a pneumatic provided with an inner tube having rior bosses, of a wheei rim formed. of tions, one of which provided. with do pressed portions, openings at one side to ceive said bosses, and a flange at the nth r side, the other section having recesses d-- ing in from one sine to receive said Q0 pressed portions and provided at the other side with :a flange, and securin dev' pass d through the sections of sai rim a engaging said bosses. P

.lli testimony whereor I have hereunto set my hand in pre. two subscribing Witnesses, this 29th d of December 1913.

NEEVTON J. FLINT.

Witnesses:

HERBERT MANN CHASE, A. BARR Comssocx. 

